Over break, I read Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. This came about because I’ve been wanting to read the book since summer, and recently saw the movie. Now, I don’t generally like seeing movies before I read the books but I had access to the movie first, so… whatever. And, as far as book to movie adaptations go, it was pretty straightforward. Of course, they cut out a character to give John Krasinski’s character, Ethan, more face time, but it didn’t really effect the plot. At all. I would like to say here that overall, neither the book nor the movie were terrible. And now that I’ve experienced both versions of the story, I need to get something off my chest.
This story has a terrible message. More below the cut for those who don’t want this spoiled.
The main character, Rachel, has an affair with her best friend’s fiance. That’s the premise. Now, Rachel went to law school with Dex (The Fiance) and fancied him, but thought he was out of her league. In the movie, they play up this whole bit where she makes it a point to say that she made a mistake setting him up with her best friend (Darcy) and there’s this whole dramatic scene in the rain where she says she’s always loved him. In the book, it’s not nearly as dramatic, and while she admits she liked him in law school, it is nowhere near to the degree they make it out to be in the movie. She basically rationalizes the entire situation by saying, “I saw him first.”
Now, I’m not going to judge her and say whether or not she was right or wrong, and I’m not doubting the length to which Rachel loves Dex. But the bottom line is that she stabbed her bff in the back. For a boy. That’s basically BFF 101. DO NOT LET A BOY COME BETWEEN YOU. Girls learn this sometime around puberty when the hormones kick in and you’re running around the recess yard chasing a boy instead of playing on the swings with your best friend. I feel like this thirty-year-old fictional character should know better. Keep in mind that I can be a hopeless romantic who just wants everyone at the end of a story to end up happy and in love. Which is why I had such a problem with this book even though she ended up with the guy. Because on one hand, she was the maid of honor in her best friend’s wedding and committed an enormous betrayal. On the other hand, everything she did she did for love. So can you fault her? I still don’t know.
This story has a terrible message. More below the cut for those who don’t want this spoiled.
The main character, Rachel, has an affair with her best friend’s fiance. That’s the premise. Now, Rachel went to law school with Dex (The Fiance) and fancied him, but thought he was out of her league. In the movie, they play up this whole bit where she makes it a point to say that she made a mistake setting him up with her best friend (Darcy) and there’s this whole dramatic scene in the rain where she says she’s always loved him. In the book, it’s not nearly as dramatic, and while she admits she liked him in law school, it is nowhere near to the degree they make it out to be in the movie. She basically rationalizes the entire situation by saying, “I saw him first.”
Now, I’m not going to judge her and say whether or not she was right or wrong, and I’m not doubting the length to which Rachel loves Dex. But the bottom line is that she stabbed her bff in the back. For a boy. That’s basically BFF 101. DO NOT LET A BOY COME BETWEEN YOU. Girls learn this sometime around puberty when the hormones kick in and you’re running around the recess yard chasing a boy instead of playing on the swings with your best friend. I feel like this thirty-year-old fictional character should know better. Keep in mind that I can be a hopeless romantic who just wants everyone at the end of a story to end up happy and in love. Which is why I had such a problem with this book even though she ended up with the guy. Because on one hand, she was the maid of honor in her best friend’s wedding and committed an enormous betrayal. On the other hand, everything she did she did for love. So can you fault her? I still don’t know.
I read this book too, and actually had the same problem with it until I read the sequel, which is something Blue. You see what a terrible person Darcy is and her self destruction path. But both books felt one-sided, like there was a story missing. They were friends for years and then Rachel just decides to betray her. Does this happen in real life? I feel like we need to talk to someone who has lived this. Much love!
ReplyDelete